Sweeter Than Wine
Ken Benshoof
Composed for 50 For The Future: The Kronos LearningRepertoire
In the spring of 2015, David Harrington suggested I take another look at ‘Kisses Sweeter than Wine.’ I had put a refrain of that tune in the Traveling Music quartet in 1973, a work composed for Kronos. Before that, I had made arrangements and references to it in several other works. (This was a natural outgrowth of an extensive interest in folk music and some aspects of popular American music, a fling with a five-string banjo, and a love of Dorian mode.)
This year’s view is delicate, with tenderness. It is a gentle walk, nostalgic in its various moods, comfortable in its own quietness, warm in its strengths.
Note by composer
IL TEUZZONE
Antonio Vivaldi
Il Teuzzone is a perfect example of the kind of musical work that Vivaldi had developed by the end of the second decade of the eighteenth century. In 1719 he had only recently left Venice and its theaters, having accepted a high-profile job at the court of Prince Filippo D’Assia in Mantua. Seeking to impress his new boss, Vivaldi debuted with a “pasticcio”, which is to say, a work combining music of his own as well as others’, which he would rework. Often, music by other composers would be incorporated among some of his best and best-loved arias. What makes Vivaldi’s Teuzzone so distinctive is his attempt – which was so happily successful – to offer audiences in Mantua a compendium of the entire first phase of his career as a composer of operas, on the eve of epochal change in the history of Italian opera in the first half of the eighteenth century. Indeed, it would not be long before Venetian theaters would be “colonized” by the diaspora of Neapolitan composers who headed north. This forced Vivaldi and many other Venetian composers to rethink and update their musical language, and seek out their fortune in what were considered secondary platforms and theaters.
oblivion
Oblivion is an instrumental work by Astor Piazzolla. Composed in 1982, it was originally arranged for bandonéon, piano and bass, but its growing success over the years inspired many reprises for piano solo, clarinet, orchestra, and even a spoken version, all of which you can find in our catalog! The piece was commissioned and featured in the 1984 film Enrico IV (“Henry IV”) by Marco Bellocchio. Adapted from the eponymous theatrical piece by Luigi Pirandello, the plot tells the story of a man who, after losing conscience, thinks he is the famous king. The piece became popular from the film and lives to this day through concert performances. Piazzolla elicits an atmospheric and haunting ambience in his composition, evoking the image of oblivion.
october
October began at a restaurant in Chicago, when I was first introduced to Brian Anderson. Brian, a high school band director from Fremont, Nebraska, knew my work and wanted to commission me, but couldn’t find the finances. If I remember correctly I didn’t immediately hear back from him, and I just assumed the gig would never materialize.
About a year later I get this phone call from him and he says that he has put together a commissioning consortium of 30 high school bands from Nebraska. 30 bands! I’ve dealt with institutional bureaucracy for a while now and I can’t possibly imagine how he brought all of those people together, let alone get them to agree on a commission.
Writing a ‘grade three’ work was an entirely different challenge. It’s easy to write your way out of a difficult corner with flashy, virtuosic material, but with ‘easier’ music your solutions must be simple, elegant, and functional. I worked hard to create a piece that could be successfully performed by all of the high schools in the consortium, yet never compromised its musical integrity. Frankly, writing ‘easy’ music is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics (Vaughn Williams, Elgar) as I felt that this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season.
I’m quite happy with the end result, especially because I feel there just isn’t enough lush, beautiful music written for winds. October was premiered on May 14th, 2000, and is dedicated to Brian Anderson, the man who brought it all together.
Note by the composer
a moorside suite
March
A Moorside Suite is a masterpiece of Holst's maturity. Written in 1928, six years before his death, it achieves a synthesis of his creative talent as a composer with the strong folk-song influences of 20 years earlier. The title of the work alludes to a country setting but does not describe an exact location, and this is mirrored in the musical material. The folk-song influence is apparent but not overt.
The work was originally for brass band, commissioned for the National Brass Band Championships held at the Crystal Palace, London, England. Denis Wright was a musical scholar, and the transcription was carried out either during Holst's lifetime or shortly after his death in 1934. The score was not published until 1983, and has been re-edited by Geoffrey Brand. Interestingly, Holst himself always intended the work to be transcribed for 'Military Band' and a first movement and some bars of the second movement exist in manuscript in the British Library.
The triumphant march is built on thematic contrasts: firstly the 'pesante' theme, then a hammered fanfare, followed by a playful leggiero tune. Like the scherzo, this march has a trio, the melody of which bears a definite resemblance to the chorale of the second movement. Most certainly this linking device was subconscious on Holst's part, but with the predominant use of the interval of a fifth, it helps to explain the feeling that the suite is thematically tightly knit.
Note by the publisher
REBECCA MACLEOD
Dr. Rebecca MacLeod is Professor of Music Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where she directs the string education program and conducts the UNCG Sinfonia. She is the author of Teaching Strings in Today’s Classroom and contributing author to Teaching Instrumental Music, Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra, and Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra. Her research is published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, String Research Journal, Psychology of Music, The Strad, American String Teachers Journal, and various state music education journals. She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education, the String Research Journal, and as guest reviewer for the International Journal of Research in Music Education. She is the recipient of the North Carolina Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award, the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance Outstanding Teaching Award, the American String Teacher Association National Researcher Award, and the UNCG Junior Research Excellence Award. She currently serves as President of the American String Teachers Association.
A passionate advocate for increasing access to string education to all students, Dr. MacLeod directs two community partnership programs that provide string instruction to underserved students: the Lillian Rauch Beginning Strings Program and the Peck Alumni Leadership Program. Students of these programs have performed for Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Gloria Ladsen-Billings, and the Sphinx Virtuosi. Her research on working with underserved populations, vibrato technique, music teacher education, and music perception has been presented at the International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition, Music Research and Human Behavior International Conference, International Society for Music, Music Educators National Conference, National Association for Music Education National Conference, American String Teachers National Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Society for Music Teacher Education, and music educators state conferences.
Prior to joining the UNCG faculty, she taught elementary, middle, and high school orchestra in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and was orchestra director and chair of music activities in Beaver, Pennsylvania. She was the assistant artistic director and conductor of the Tallahassee Symphony Youth Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra in Tallahassee, Florida. She was a guest lecturer at Xi’an University and Shaoguan University (China) in summer 2016 and 2017.
Dr. MacLeod received her undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and her MME and PhD from Florida State University. She is a frequent guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States and abroad.
William dowell
William Dowell is a North Carolina-based cellist, conductor, and educator. As a conductor, he has performed with the Carthage Philharmonic and UNC Greensboro’s Sinfonia. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with the Carthage President’s String Quartet and has performed in multiple blended chamber ensembles. As an orchestral musician, William has served as the principal cellist in the Carthage Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed in the pit orchestra for the Kenosha Opera Festival’s production of La fille du régiment. William also maintains an active schedule as a wedding musician performing in both classical and popular styles. Currently, William maintains a private teaching studio and teaches for Music & Arts, Moore Music, and UNCG’s Peer Artist Leadership Program. He has previously taught as a cello instructor for the Carthage Community Lessons Program, as a chamber coach for Carthage Young Artists Chamber Music Program, and as a strings coach for the Lakeshore Youth Orchestra. William is currently a graduate student studying cello performance at the University of North Carolina Greensboro under Dr. Alexander Ezerman.
The mint string quartet
Founded in 2020, The Mint String Quartet seeks to promote and strengthen community bonds that celebrate cultural richness through music. The ensemble enjoys performing in a wide variety of styles and settings, with a special interest in contemporary composers. Mint String Quartet has participated in masterclasses with the Sphinx Virtuosi, The Lark Ensemble, and Deborah Barrett Price of The Chamber Music Connection. In Spring 2022, the ensemble performed in the chamber music presentation led by Carolyn Huebl at the American String Teachers Association National Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. More recently, they completed a four month artist residency with Music For a Great Space, where they were mentored by Thalea String Quartet, held numerous public performances, and taught workshops at public schools. The Mint String Quartet is committed to the cultivation of new audiences through diverse musical programming and the expansion of the possibilities of chamber music.